Mal the Lion Jesse White • Illustrated by Myke Mollard
Mal was a young lion that wanted a friend.
Mal the
Lion
JesseWhite Illustrated by Myke Mollard
Mal the Lion
Wr itten by Jesse White • Illustrated By Myke Mollard
Mal the Lion Wr itten by Jesse White • Illustrated By Myke Mollard
Mal was a young lion who wanted a friend. He would play with his shadow, but that was pretend.
“Oh please Mum, can I ...?”, Mal pleaded and pleaded. His mum grew cross, she knew what was needed.
“Well then what about, with a zebra, a croc, even a gnu?” But his mum grew angry,“Here’s what you should do.” “You’re a lion, you should eat every animal you see. They don’t want to know you. You can be friends with me.”
Now Mal loved his mum, but he so wanted a pal. He chased all the animals, yelling, “My
name is Mal.”
With a sound like thunder that filled the sky. The animals didn’t say hello, they just screamed, “Goodbye!!”
Mums picked up their children, as the Dads grabbed their wives. All went white as ghosts, and all ran for their
lives.
The only one who stayed was a Meerkat named Stephanie. She looked Mal in the eye, “Don’t you want to chase me?”
Said Mal,“No, I just want to make friends,
even one would be nice.” So Stephanie told Mal she would give him advice. “Don’t be so angry and frighten other animals when you like. If you want to be mean, then
get on your bike!!”
Stephanie grabbed Mal’s ear,“Be kind and giving. You mustn’t be aggressive to everything that’s living.
Try giving compliments and follow the Golden Rule. Always be kind, and never be cruel.
If you see someone nice and would like to meet them. Whatever you do Mal, please don’t try to eat them.
Try using your strength to help others out. Caring and sharing ... that’s what it’s all about.
You should be honest, truthful and never pretend. If you do as I say, then I’ll be your friend.”
Mal soon learned Stephanie’s lesson and would give it a try. He would be sharing and caring. He wouldn’t harm a butterfly.
Mal picked pretty flowers and split them in half. He gave some to a zebra and some to a giraffe.
“You look
amaaaazing,� said Mal, and he gave them a hug.
They were very impressed. “Oh, you are so nice and we thought you were a thug.”
Mal spotted some elephants and told them they looked great. “You all look so fit, have you
been losing `
weight?”
They all laughed and laughed, “Yes, we’ve been
working out.”
Then they happily added,“You’ve changed Mal, there’s
no doubt.”
Mal loved doing nice things, one after another. He even helped a lost little antelope find its worried mother.
The mother was thankful. She’d been looking all day. She was so grateful that she asked Mal,“Can you stay?”
Mal couldn’t believe he made such a wonderful impression. He must find and thank Stephanie for her friendship lesson.
When he finally found her, she was dancing on her toes. He gave her sweet chocolate and a beautiful pink rose.
“You’re the best dear Stephanie, I owe it all to you. The other animals now love me, and I love them too.”
The End.
First edition published in Australia, 2008 by: alto books pty ltd Suite 314, 55 Flemington Road North Melbourne, Victoria Australia. 3051 Email: publisher@altobooks.com.au ISBN: 978-1-921526-03-9
Copyright Š Pearson Place Pty Ltd, 2008 Illustrations Š Myke Mollard, 2008
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright holders and the above publisher of this book. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Title:
Author:
White, Jesse, 1979-2006.
Mal the lion / Jesse White ; illustrator, Myke Mollard. ISBN:
9781921526039 (hbk.)
Target Audience: For pre-school age.
Other Authors/Contributors:
Mollard, Myke, 1972-
Dewey Number: A823.4
Cover design and illustrations by Myke Mollard Designed by Genie Jar Pty Ltd Printed in www.altobooks.com.au
Mal the Lion Jesse White • Illustrated by Myke Mollard
Mal was a young lion that wanted a friend.
Mal the
Lion
JesseWhite Illustrated by Myke Mollard